Knitting-machine.



F. B. WILDMAN KNITTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 1111.51,,1910.

1,003,081.- Patented Sept.. l2. 1911..

FRANK B. WILDMAN, 0F NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA..

KNIT'IlING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 1911.

Application filed January 3, 1910. Serial No. 536,141.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK B. fiDMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norristown, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Imprmements in Knitting-Machines, of whichlthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to k itting machines, and it concerns particil rangement of a cam for controlling the needles in order to open their latches prior to reaching the thread carrier, sol that the latches will not strike the saidcarrier and be broken thereby.

The invention in its specific embodiment as disclosed-herein, relatesto that type of circular knitting machines in which the dial is racked or moved around to'change the position of the dial needles in relation to the cylinder needles, and it consists in the features and combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of the dial cap of a circular knitting machine;-Fig. 2 is a View similar to Fig. 1, with the wing or advancing cam in its innermost position; Fig. 3

is a view similar to Fig. 2 of the ordinary form of dial cap with its cams.

In these drawings, 1 is the. dial cap, 2 the stitch cam and 3 the advancing or wing cam, the latter being of dilferent form from the ordinary wing cam for racking; 4 is the thread carrier, and 5 indicates the cylinder needles at the point where they are raised to take the thread.

In racking, as is well known, it is necessary to withdraw the dial needles inwardly so that their outer ends will be wholly within the needle circle of the cylinder needles, and when so positioned, the dial may be turned to shift the dial needles circumferentially in their relation to the cylinder needles, without contacting with the advanced cylinder needles. For accomplishing this action the wing or advancing cam 3 is of the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and

when shifted inwardly from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. any suitable link connection, such as 5* controlled by pattern mechanism, the dial needles will remain in their retracted position after passing the stitch'cam to allow the dial to be shifted or be racked around through any suitable mechanism of known arly the ar-' form. The needles pass through the cam path in the direction of the arrow X, the dial cap and thread carrier rotating in the direction of the arrow In the ordinary knitting operation, when a stitch is\cast off at the stitch cam 2 resulting in the stitch being slid off over the closed latch of the needle, the said latch .will sometimes fly open more or less, and in a racking machine, in which the dial is turned in relation to the cylinder while the dial cap does not partake of said racking movement when these dial needles are advanced again to perform their knitting function, the partly open latches will be directly in the path of the thread guide and oomsrof the dial cap and will strike the same, resulting in a breakage or bending of said latches and damage to the work and'loss of time in replacing the needle ,or needles. I

.have therefore provided a special cam at 6 intermediate the stitch cam and the Wing .cam, which, immediately after the stitch cam has retracted the needle and cast off the stitch, will advance the needles through .the old loops sutliciently far to fully open all the latches and lay them back against the needle stem. but not far enough to get the loops back of the latches, and having done this, the cam will immediately retract the needles to their position for racking to permit them to pass the advanced cylinder' needles, but the latches will now have been fully opened and be ready to be advanced,

when knitting is to be resumed, with their latches thrown back to avoid contact with the. thread guide and cams when the same comes around. This special cam 6 acts independently of and prior to the arrival of the needle at the wing or advancing cam which, for the packing movement, is adjusted inwardly to the position shown in Fig. 2, and must be of such shape as to leave a clear space for the needles to remain drawn in for the racking action.

In the ordinary dial cap as shown in Fig.

3, 7 indicates the tucking point where the needles are advanced and open their latches before reaching the thread carrier, but this arrangement of cams can not be used in a machine designed for racking owing to the necessity for allowing the needles to remain at their inward limit at the point where the cylinder needles are advanced, "and I therefore provide the cam 6 above mentioned between the stitch cam and the wing cam for first advancing the leaving them with their latches fully open ready to be advanced for resum ing knitting Without'danger of having the latches strike the thread carrier or cams which will occur should the latches be only partly open.

It will. be observed that at the point 8 I bevel off the outer cam piece. This is to' allow room for the. latch to open.. This beveled edge gradually merges at the point 9 into the flat surface of the cam piece, so that the latch having been opened, will be held so by the cam pieces 10 and 11 riding thereover, and this control of the latch Will be exercised until the needle with its open latch, gets under the thread carrier, thus insuring the maintenance of the latch in its open position.

I claim as my invention: 7

1. In combination in a knitting machine,

needles to fully open I cam for their latches and then to retract them, for rael'ring,

a thread carrier, a stitch cam, an advancing the needles, a connection for operating the advancing cam inwardly for racking, and a cam interposed between the stitch cam and the advancing cam for advancing the needles to open their latches while maintaining the stitches thereon and then to retract the same before reaching the advancing cam, substantially as described.

2. In combination in a knitting machine with the thread carrier, stitch cam and advancingcapi, a cam interposed between the stitch and advancing cam to advance the needles for opening their latches and then to return them, and a guard portion under which the open latcla' ot' the needles pass to be held thereby until after they pass under the thread guide. substantially as described.

In testimony \x 'hereot', I a tiix my signature in presence 01' two witnesses.

FRANK B. \VILDMAN. lVitnesses Eni'rn C. FRICK, F. R. ROBERTS. 

